"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" the best yet

"The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" is the prequel to the Lord of the Rings movies that have retold J.R.R. Tolkein's fantasy series. In this one, a wizard chooses a home-loving Hobbit named Bilbo Baggins to be the thief that helps a group of 13 elves take back their homeland.

MICHELLE: We actually waited more than a week to see this movie. We were on vacation, and I didn't want to spend three hours of it separated from the sound of the Hawaiian waves. So there. Truthfully, I wasn't looking forward to this film ? the previews looked strange and I was ticked they split it into three parts. I ended up liking it more than the first three films.

ALLEN: I didn't see the need to turn a relatively short children's book into a three part epic. I realize they are pulling material from other sources such as "The Simarillion" (ask your nerdy friends) but wasn't sure even that would justify the length. Well so far so good. The film was entertaining from the beginning and made me excited to see what else the saga holds.

MICHELLE: Instead of a buddy picture, this is just about an ordinary Hobbit. He loves his comfortable home, his books and garden. So when a wizard brings a bunch of elves into his house, he sees them as an invasion. When he's invited to go on adventure with them as a thief, he refuses. He's no thief and it's fraught with danger. Then they leave, and he suddenly changes his mind.

ALLEN: If you are familiar with the book you realize that wizard is hanging around more than you remember. In the book, he sets things in motion and then disappears. In the movie, he hangs out with the group. Considering Ian McKellen is my favorite actor, I'm not complaining.

MICHELLE: The other three films all included battle scenes I thought could have been shortened. Other than that, I loved them. Instead of stretching one book into three movies, Peter Jackson has given the group a chance to bond. The elf king character is an interesting, flawed hero.

ALLEN: It's strange to think we've grown blasé about the fantastic imagery Jackson is able to conger for his films. They look fantastic, and probably don't need the 3D.